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Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

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The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964
Great Seal of the United States
Long titleAn act to mobilize the human and financial resources of the Nation to combat poverty in the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. That this Act may be cited as the "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964."
Enacted bythe 88th United States Congress
EffectiveAugust 20, 1964
Citations
Public law88-452
Statutes at Large78 Stat. 508
Legislative history

Public Law 88-452, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 authorized the formation of local Community Action Agencies as part of the War on Poverty. These agencies were directly regulated by the Federal Government. [1] "It is the purpose of [The Economic opportunity Act] to strengthen, supplement, and coordinate efforts in furtherance of that policy. [2]

Purpose

"Findings and Declaration of Purpose
Sec. 2. Although the economic well-being and prosperity of the United States have progressed to a level surpassing any achieved in world history, and although these benefits are widely shared throughout the Nation; poverty continues to be the lot of a substantial number of our people. The United States can achieve its full economic ans social potential as a nation only if every individual has the opportunity to contribute to the full extent of his capabilities and to participate in the workings of our society. It is, therefore, the policy of the United States to eliminate the paradox of poverty in the midst of plenty in this Nation by opening to everyone the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity. It is the purpose of this Act to strengthen, supplement, and coordinate efforts in furtherance of that policy."[3]

War on Poverty

The War on Poverty was declared by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in his State of the Union Address on January 8, 1964. He expressed the Keynote of his proposed domestic program as follows:

This administration today here and now declares unconditional war on poverty in America. I urge this Congress and all Americans to join me in that effort...
Poverty is a national problem, requiring improved national organization and support. But this attack, to be effective, must also be organized at the State and local level.
For the war against poverty will not be won here in Washington. It must be won in the field, in every private home, in every public office, from the courthouse to the White House.
Very often, a lack of jobs and money is not the cause of poverty, but the symptom.
Our aim is not only to relieve the symptoms of poverty but to cure it–and above all, to prevent it.
No single piece of legislation, however, is going to suffice."[4]


W. Willard Wirtz, Secretary of Labor during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, was a major proponent of the EOA. During a June 17, 1967 hearing before the Select Committee on Poverty of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of the United States Senate, Secretary Wirtz stated, "...it has become clear that America is not going to put up with poverty amidst prosperity. We realize that by itself prosperity is not going to get rid of poverty."[5] He included that the War on Poverty had to central objectives:

"First, to provide jobs and training, especially for those young people now growing up in poverty, and increasingly condemned by lack of economic opportunity to repeat the cycle over again.
Second, to begin the process of planning and organizing that will bring the entire resources of a community to bear on the specific problem of breaking up the cycle of poverty in that community."[6]

The War on Poverty attacked the roots and consequences of poverty by creating job opportunities, increasing productivity, and enhancing the quality of life.The environments the impoverished were developed in made it increasingly difficult from them to survive in the climate. While the aim was not to end poverty, but to eradicate the principal causes of it.< ref>Ellis, Jeanine. "A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984". A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.</ref>

History

The act was called for by President Lyndon B. Johnson in his Special Message to Congress on March 16, 1964, in which he presented a proposal for a nationwide war on the sources of poverty. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was passed as a part of LBJ’s War on Poverty. Encompassing John F. Kennedy’s purpose of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was created “to eliminate the paradox of poverty on the midst of plenty in this nation by opening…To everyone…the opportunity for education and training, the opportunity to work, and the opportunity to live in decency and dignity.” [7]

In his special message, President Johnson declared “The Act does not merely expand on old programs or improve what was already being done. It charts a new course. It strikes at the causes of poverty…Not just the consequences of poverty. It can be a milestone in our 180-year search for a better life for your people.”[8]

Legislation

Economic Opportunity Act
Signing of the Poverty Bill

In January of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson gave R. Sargent Shriver the task of developing a bill to wage the war against poverty in the United States. The bill was presented to Congress in March of 1964. It was introduced by Representative Phil M. Landrum, a democrat from Georgia, in the House. The bill was introduced to the Senate by Senator Pat McNamara, a democrat from Michigan. The bill was favored by subcommittees of the House of Education and Labor Committee and the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee. The bill was debated for two days and then passed by the Senate with limited amendments. The vote was sixty-four to thirty-four. Republicans voted ten of thirty-two for the bill; democrats voted eleven to eleven. The Economic Opportunity Act was then sent to the House where it was debated for four days. With few amendments, the bill was passed by a vote of 226 to 185 in the House. The Senate adopted the "House-passed" bill that same day and twelve days later on August 20, 1964 the bill was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Economic Opportunity Act was announced by the president in his first State of the Union Address as the launch against the "war on poverty."[9]


Vote totals

Totals are in "Aye-Nay" format:

  • The Original Senate Version: 45-44  (46%–45%).[10]
  • The Senate version as passed by House: 226-185  (54%-44%).[11]

By party

Totals are in "Aye-Nay-Present-Not Voting" format:
The Original Senate Version:

  • Democrats: 203-40-2-1
  • Republicans: 22-145-5-0

The Senate version as passed by House:

  • Democrats: 15-43-1-4
  • Republicans: 30-1-0-3

By party and region

Note: "Southern", as used in this section, refers to members of Congress from the eleven states that made up the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. "Northern" refers to members from the other 39 states, regardless of the geographic location of those states.




Major Features

The act included eleven major programs:

1. The Job Corps, provides work, basic education, and training in separate residential centers for young men and young women, from ages sixteen to twenty-one.

2. Neighborhood Youth Corps, provides work and training for young men and women, ages sixteen to twenty-one, from impoverished families and neighborhoods.

3. Work Study, provides grants to colleges and universities for part-time employment of students from low-income families who need to earn money to pursue their education.

4. Urban and Rural Community Action, provides financial and technical assistance to public and private nonprofit agencies for community action programs developed with "maximum feasible participation" of the poor and giving "promise of progress toward elimination of poverty"

5. Adult Basic Education, provides grants to state educational agencies for programs of instruction for persons eighteen years and older whose inability to read and write English is an impediment to employment.

6. Voluntary Assistance for Needy Children, establishes an information and coordination center to encourage voluntary assistance for deserving and needy children.

7. Loans to Rural Families, provides loans not exceeding $2,500 that assists low income rural families in permanently increasing their income.

8. Assistance for Migrant Agricultural Employees provides assistance to state and local governments, public and private nonprofit agencies or individuals in operating programs to assist migratory workers and their families with basic needs.

9. Employment and Investment Incentives, provides loans and guarantees, not in excess of $25,000 to a single borrower, for the benefit of very small businesses.

10. Work Experience, provides payments for experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects to expand opportunities for work experience and needed training of persons who are unable to support or care for themselves or their families, including persons receiving public assistance.

11. Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) recruits, selects, trains, and refers volunteers to state or local agencies or private nonprofit organizations to perform duties in combating poverty. [12]


The legislation also authorized the Economic Opportunity Council, which led to the launch of smaller independent groups that worked with communities to establish better economic climates. [13][14]Government took charge for providing a means to provide basic literacy to adults. [15]The idea was not wealth distribution, but to provide poor families with a means to provide for their family to a decent standard of living. [16]

One of the main features of the act was that the federal government would bypass states to send money to local governments. Although many criticisms evolved from this, this was one of the ways the federal government was able to bypass states in the southern states who would not cooperate with federal law.[17] [18] The act is also noted for providing a means to provide basic literacy to adults. [19]

Evaluation

The act was part of Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, which sought to eliminate poverty which President Johnson saw as: "..it's wastage of resources and human lives..." The aim was to bring Americans closer, away from "the outskirts of hope." By 1966 the program was under scrutiny from Republicans. They pointed out the waste and inefficiency in local programs and Nixon pledged to "take the profit out of poverty."[20] LBJ was proud of the progress he had made with the passage of his bill, including 9.1 million acres of forestry that was set for destruction, the creation of Medicare, and funding injected into state schools. Funding that was for his poverty legislation were diverted to The Vietnam War. [21]In 1967 Congress directed the Government Accountability Office, then General Accounting Office, to review anti-poverty programs by the federal government. The conclusion was that programs such as Head Start were effective in providing for children, but the primary objective of parent participation was insufficient. Community Action Programs were behind administratively and underachieved given the amount of money designated. Overall, the GAO determined that the poverty programs were working at the time. [22]The act was essentially repealed under the Reagan administration in 1981, although much of the main features still remain. The remaining pieces of social legislation are reconfigured and adjusted, such as Head Start, which is now under The Department of Education.[23] The act was replaced by The Community Services Block Grant (CSBD) and replaced the funding from direct funding to block grants with over 200 plus government agencies. [24]

External Links

Johnson's Great Society Speech

Johnson's Inaugural Address

Johnson's Website

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

References

  1. ^ " "The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. US Government. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  2. ^ "The Economic Opportunity Act". The Economic Opportunity Act. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  3. ^ " "The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. US Government. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  4. ^ "State of the Union Address". Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union January 8, 1964. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  5. ^ Capp, Glenn R. (1967). The Great Society A Sourcebook of Speeches. Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 164–174.
  6. ^ Capp, Glenn R. (1967). The Great Society A Sourcebook of Speeches. Belmont, CA: Dickenson Publishing Company, Inc. pp. 164–174.
  7. ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  8. ^ Halsall, Paul. "Modern History Sourcebook:President Lyndon B. Johnson: The War on Poverty, March 1964". Proposal for A Nationwide War On The Sources of Poverty'. Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  9. ^ Landberg, Brian K. "Major Acts of Congress". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. McMillan-THoams Gale. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  10. ^ "House Vote #201 (Aug 8, 1964)". House Vote #201. Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  11. ^ "Senate Vote #443 (July 23, 1964)". Senate Vote #443. Civic Impulse, LLC|accessdate. Retrieved 2 April 2011.
  12. ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress: The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  13. ^ Kurian, George T. (1998). A Historical Guide to the U.S. Governent. New York: Oxford. p. 367.
  14. ^ "History". Department of Community Service and Development. State of California. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  15. ^ Ellis, Jeanine. "A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984". A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.
  16. ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  17. ^ Ginsberg, Benjamin (2007). We the People. New York: Norton. p. 92.
  18. ^ Spitzer, Robert (2002). Essentials of American Politics. New York: Norton. pp. 68–69.
  19. ^ Ellis, Jeanine. "A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984". A History and Analysis of the Adult Education Act, 1964-1984. ERIC.
  20. ^ Sarfe, William (2008). Sarfe's Political Dictionary. New York: Oxford.
  21. ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  22. ^ Kurian, George T. (1998). A Historical Guide to the U.S. Governent. New York: Oxford. p. 367.
  23. ^ Pollak, Stephen J. "Major Acts of Congress | Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. eNotes. Retrieved 28 March 2011.
  24. ^ Garson, G. Davis. "Economic Opportunity Act of 1964". Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
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